The locker spaces for Kevin Love and Michael Beasley inside the Timberwolves’ clubhouse are next to each other, giving the teammates a chance to share interviews with reporters. Beasley occasionally has answered questions intended for Love, who has done the same with questions posed to Beasley.

As locker neighbors, debates often spring up between the two, although Beasley hesitated to respond when, somehow, he and Love drew comparisons to the famed TV crime-fighting duo of Batman and Robin. Beasley couldn’t figure out which character fit him best. Love answered for him.

“I’m Robin, since he does all the intangible things,” Love said.

Beasley as Batman? There could be a connection.

Beasley saved the Wolves in the nick of time with a game-winning shot last week against the Los Angeles Clippers, and the way coach Kurt Rambis is drawing up plays for Beasley in late-game situations, there likely will be more opportunities for him to save the day.

“The coach is showing more confidence in me in close games, and I appreciate that,” Beasley said.

No matter what character roles Love and Beasley ultimately settle on, one thing is clear about the two third-year forwards: Five weeks into the NBA season, they have revived interest in the Wolves. The Wolves (4-11), who play San Antonio tonight at Target Center, have been the lead story on ESPN’s “SportsCenter” and landed on the front page of sports websites around the country.

Love brought the organization national attention with his 31 points and 31 rebounds against the New York Knicks on Nov. 12; Beasley averaged 32.6 points in a five-game stretch, including back-to-back games of 35 or more points, something no Wolves player had done since Kevin Garnett in 2000.

With Love leading the NBA in rebounding (14.0) and Beasley ranked 15th in scoring (21.9), the Wolves arguably are showcasing the league’s best forward tandem — and both players will be only 22 when the season ends.

“It’s so much fun to watch young players who really know how to play,” said Wolves TV analyst Jim Petersen, an NBA forward for eight seasons with Houston, Sacramento and Golden State. “They’re both unselfish and highly competitive. You can’t help but think what it will be like three years from now with those two guys.”

That Love and Beasley have established a bond is a major step for the Wolves in efforts to build a foundation around the two players. Beasley played mostly power forward in his two seasons with Miami, prompting Love to express concern when the Wolves traded for Beasley in July.

Love had gone through playing time issues when Al Jefferson was with the Wolves, and didn’t want to go through the same frustration with Beasley. The key component of the trade, however, was Rambis’ decision to move Beasley to small forward and give Love free reign at power forward. Initial results of the trade make the deal one of the best in the Wolves’ 22-year history. The Wolves gave up only two second-round draft picks for Beasley, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 draft.

Love has become a dominant rebounder and Beasley is showing versatility that Jefferson and Garnett couldn’t display during their tenures in a Wolves uniform.

“The Wolves have never had a player like Michael, a guy who is that big and athletic and can create off the dribble,” Petersen said of Beasley. “He is so multifaceted. That’s why he and Love are so good together. They are so dissimilar. They do different things on the floor.”

And they get along. The harmony between Love and Beasley has given Rambis one fewer thing to worry about in his second season with the Wolves. Though Love and Jefferson had no personal issues, Rambis spent much of last season defending his preference to limit the minutes Love and Jefferson played together. Both wanted to crash the boards and be available for post-up opportunities.

Rambis doesn’t have that issue today, and it’s a bonus that Love and Beasley are compatible.

“You want guys to get along off the court,” Rambis said. “It’s not a necessity, but it always helps. Whenever a guy feels his teammates are looking out for him at both ends of the court, it gets to a point where they don’t even have to talk about it anymore. It just happens. That kind of chemistry always has to happen with your best players. They’re the ones setting the example for everybody else. It starts at the top.”

In other words, Rambis and the entire Wolves organization for that matter are hitching the season to Love and Beasley. Wolves president of basketball operations David Kahn told fans in an open letter before training camp that the team would not contend for a championship this season, but the emergence of Love and Beasley likely will bring more fans to Target Center.

A sellout crowd of 19,356 attended the Wolves’ 112-95 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers at Target Center, and 15,232 showed up for the Wolves-Knicks game. During Love’s milestone performance, Beasley made 16 of 29 shots and finished with 35 points. Love and Beasley never got in each other’s way that night.

“Kevin makes things so much easier for me,” Beasley said. “The main thing is I don’t have to rebound that much.”

Love has the same appreciation for Beasley.

“If Michael is shooting, I have no problem at all with going to the boards to rebound,” he said. “His versatility is off the charts right now. As a small forward, he’s a matchup nightmare. He’s either too strong to defend near the basket or he’ll shoot over you or go by you on a drive. I love playing with him.”

Wolves management hopes to hear that for years to come.

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